Healthy Living

Addiction and Substance Use

Addiction can be hard to talk about. For starters, people often don’t agree on what addiction is. The term is used to describe anything from a desire to have or do something that gives pleasure, to a medical issue, to an uncontrollable urge. Because of this confusion, health and social service workers tend to avoid the word “addiction.” When they talk about addiction to alcohol and other drugs, they tend to use less negative terms like “substance use problems” and “substance dependence.” These terms as well as the term “addiction” are used in the information included in the links that follow.

The Effects of Addiction and Substance Use on Children and Families

Children living in homes where there is a substance use problem can be seriously harmed by it if the problem isn’t dealt with properly. Life at home may be chaotic. There may be strange behaviour, yelling, arguments and tears. Outside the home, family members may act normal to try and keep their problems hidden. Dealing with addiction in the home properly means:

• Adults must openly acknowledge the problem to the children and not pretend that it doesn’t exist.
• Adults must take steps to protect their children by not allowing addicts to remain in the home and be around the children if they are using substances and causing conflicts.
• Adults must not allow children to watch or listen to adults using substances, fighting and/or causing problems.
• Adults must explain the problem to children in way that is age appropriate. and in a way that lets them know the problem is not their fault.
• If no one explains the problem, children may draw their own, often wrong, conclusions. They may respond to the situation in unhealthy ways. For example, they may:
  
  • Take on an unusual amount of family responsibility.

  • Try to be perfect at everything they do.

  • Become withdrawn and isolated.

  • Become aggressive or act out in other ways.

  • Use substances themselves.

Addiction: An Information Guide

The guide is divided into 7 chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 are for anyone with an interest in the topic of addiction. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are more for people with substance use problems, and chapters 6 and 7 are for their families. You can read the guide from cover to cover, or you may prefer to skip to particular sections of interest to you. At the end of the guide, there are lists of agencies, websites and books that can give you more information and help.

What is addiction?

What causes addiction?

Frequently asked questions about addiction

Help for people with addiction

Change, recovery and relapse prevention

Help for partners and families

Explaining addiction to children

Acknowledgements
Conclusion
Resources
References

All of the information on this page was taken from directly from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Website (below) and the Addiction Information Guide.http://www.camh.net/About_Addiction_Mental_Health/Drug_and_Addiction_Information/
Addiction_Information_Guide/